Colonel in Carlisle convicted for child porn

A U.S. Army colonel stationed at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle was convicted of child pornography offenses, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

Col. Robert. J. Rice, 58, of Carlisle, was convicted after a five-day trial in U.S. District Court. The jury returned with a guilty verdict after about two hours of deliberation, according to U.S. Attorney Peter Smith.

The maximum penalty Rice faces under federal law is 30 years in prison, a term of supervised release following imprisonment and a fine. Rice's sentencing has been scheduled for Aug. 12 by the presiding judge, Judge Christopher C. Conner.

The jury found that Rice possessed child pornography knowingly from August 2010 through January 2013, and that he received and distributed child porn through the internet from Jan. 23, 2013 through Jan. 28, 2013.

The initial charges came from an investigation from the Cumberland County District Attorney's Office, who was assisted by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division and Homeland Security Investigations.